A splint is used primarily as a short-term means for immobilizing a body part following an injury thereto. Where the injury is minor, such as a slight joint sprain, requiring a relatively short treatment period, the splint can serve as the primary treatment means for the duration of the treatment period. Where the injury is more severe, however, such as a broken bone or a torn ligament, the splint usually serves as an immediate, but only temporary, treatment means until more long-term treatment of the injured body part can be administered, often in the form of a brace or cast. Temporary splints are commonly employed under emergency post-trauma conditions in locales remote from treatment facilities.
Whether the splint provides primary or temporary treatment, effective immobilization of the affected body part requires a close fit between the splint and the body part. Splints, however, are usually produced in only one or a few generalized sizes because of the disposable nature of splints and the difficulty in stocking a large range of splint sizes and individually sizing each user during emergency applications. Accordingly, splints are preferably designed to be at least somewhat adjustable to the specific size requirements of the user with the object of enhancing the fit of the splint.
Unfortunately, splints, which are rigid by necessity, do not readily adapt to the contours of the body, and particularly to the contours of limbs encompassing flexible joints that frequently require splinting. Therefore, prior art designs for splints and other joint immobilizing devices have balanced a trade-off between closeness of fit and degree of rigidity.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,853,123 teaches a knee brace formed from a resilient shell that wraps around the leg and knee joint to restrain flexion of the knee joint. The shell is maintained in place by a plurality of pliable straps drawn tight to encircle the leg and shell. Although the brace provides a snug fit with the leg, its resilient components do not always provide sufficient rigidity and corresponding immobility for post-trauma applications. In addition, the brace does not permit setting the knee joint at a flexion angle other than the angle defined by the relatively straight axis of the leg.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,041,940 teaches a knee immobilizer that has a rigid u-shaped shell conforming to the leg of the user and having a slight flexion angle built into the shell about the knee joint. Although the shell provides a relatively close fit with the leg, its three-dimensional configuration renders the device impractical for emergency field applications. The device is difficult to store or transport at remote trauma sites due to the excessive bulk of the configuration. Additionally, the device is limited to one flexion angle which may not always be optimum for the particular application.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,409,195 discloses a splint having longitudinal joints formed therein for conformance of the splint to the substantially cylindrical lateral contour of the patient. The splint is further provided with lateral joints to conform the splint to the somewhat bowed longitudinal contour of the patient. However, the joints diminish the effectiveness of the splint because the joints cannot be fixed, and accordingly are easily flexed with movement of the patient.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,653,758 discloses a splint having a flexion joint formed therein for conformance of the splint to a desired flexion angle of the knee joint. The flexion joint of the splint can be fixed at a selected flexion angle by tightening a plurality of bolts at the joint. This task, however, is cumbersome, particularly in emergency situations where even common tools may not be available.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to overcome the problems set forth above with respect to prior art splints and joint immobilizers. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to achieve a high degree of immobilization for an injured body part by providing a splint that is substantially rigid, yet is close-fittingly adaptable to various body sizes.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a splint for a body joint that can be rapidly and fixedly set to a desired angle of joint flexion. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a splint for a body joint that can be readily assembled from a kit without any tools, wherein the kit is highly compact and stackable enabling practical storage and transportation of a relatively large splint inventory at remote trauma sites or treatment centers.